Instrument supporting and adjusting apparatus



Aug 111.1921.

F. KOENIGKRAMER IISTRUISI? SUPPORTING AID ADJUSTING APPARATUS 2 fibula-Shut. 1

Filod mm 1. 192: Y

Patented Aug. 16, 1927.

' FREDERICK KOENIGKRAMER, F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

INSTRUMENT SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTING APPARATUS.

Application filed April .7,

My invention relates to improvements in optometrists apparatus. One of its objects is to provide improved apparatus adapted to adjustably support an ophthalmometer with reference to a chair in which the patients are designed to be seated for exam ination. Another object is to provide an improved ophthalmometer supporting and adjusting apparatus adapted to support the ophthalmometer in both operative and in idle position with reference to a chair and other instruments without being in the way of the operator or his use of the other instruments when the ophthalmometer is in an idle position. Anotherobjectis to provide iln proved means to adjustably support and counterbalance the weight of the instrument whereby the instrument may be adjusted to a variety of positions in both horizontal and vertical planes with relatively little effort upon the part of the operator. An other object is to provide an improved instrument supporting apparatus having both a coarse and a fine adjustment. My inven- 5 tion also comprises certain details of form,

and combination and arrangement of components, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1, is a side elevation 'of a chair with my improved. apparatus in position thereon.

Fig. 2, is a sectional detail of a portion of the apparatus taken on line 2'2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3, is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a. modification.

Fig. 4, is a plan of the chair and apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5, is a detail taken on line 1, partly in section. Fig. 6, is a. sectional detail of the counterbalancing meanstaken on line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7, is a perspective view of the instru ment supporting platen detached.

The accompanying drawings'illustrate the preferred embodiments of my invention in which represents the seat and 16 the back of an optometrists chair, and are designed to support the patients while the optometrist is seated in front of thepatient upon stool or smaller chair. The chair seat 15 and back 16 are preferably mounted upon a pedestal 17 which is vertically hydraulically adjustable upon and relative to thebase 18. It is customary for optometrists to employ interchangeably an instrument of considerable weight designated as an ophthalmom- 1923. Serial No. 630,632.

eter and an instrument of relatively less weight designated as a phorometer. These instruments have heretofore been usually mounted upon separate tables or stands, and the patient and operator required to move from one instrument to the other as required. I contemplate mounting one or more phorometers which are not shown in the drawings interchangeably upon a vertical standard 19 detachably supported in a socket 20in the bracket 21 projecting from the side of the frame of the chair seat- 15. A detachable sleeve 22 mounted in the socket 20 provides for supporting a plurality of standards 19 of different diameters if desired.

. A bracket 24 is rigidly attached to the frame of the chair seat in front of the bracket 21. The bracket 24 is provided with a vertical journal boX or sleeve 25 in which is journaled a verticalshaft 26. I A forked head 27 is rigidly attached to the shaft 26 above the journal box 25 and a forked head 28 is rigidly attached to the shaft 26 below the journal box 25. Horizontally directed arms 29 and are respectively pivotally attached to the forked heads 27 and 28 by means of pivot bolts or axles 31. A vertical standard 32 is forked at its lower end and the opposite ends of the arms 29 and 30 are pivotally attached to the forked lower end of standard 32 by means of pivot bolts 33 and 34.

The upper end 35 of standard 32 is cylindrical with a conical lower end 36 which form a vertical pivot or journal for a horizontally directed arm 37. A collar 38 and hand actuated nut 39 provide for taking up the end play at the journal 35, and also when desired to lock the arm 37 rigidly to its adjusted positions relative to the member 35. A tubular member 40 is Slidably adjustable endwise of the arm 29, and a similar tubular member 41 is slidably adj ustable endwise of arm 30. A pair of tension springs 42 and 43 are each pivotally attached at one end to the slide 40 and attheir opposite ends are attached pivotally to the slide 41. A setscrew 44 serves to lock the slide 40 rigidly to its adjusted posi tions on the arm 29. The slide 41 is threaded to an adjusting screw 45 rot-atably by hand through a hand wheel 46 to adjust and hold the slide 41 in position with reference to the arm 30: The adjusting screw 45 is journaled to a member 47 which is in turn pivotally attached to a tubular slide 48.

. and 41.

The slide 48 is locked rigidly to its adjusted position by means of a set screw 49.

At the extended end of the arm 37 is a journal box 50 which receives and rotatably supports the cylindrical stem 51 of the platen 52. A collar 53 and hand nut 54 serve to take up the end-play and when required to rigidly lock the stem 51 and platen 52 to the arm 37. A wooden platen or support 55 is rigidly mounted upon the smaller metal platen 52, and an ophthalmometer 56 is mounted upon and adjustable relative to the platen 55.

The springs 42 and 43 are connected at opposite ends to ournal blocks 57 by means of which the springs are pivotally attached by pivot bolts to the tubular members 40 By adjustment of the members 40 and 41 along the arms 29 and 30, the tension on the springs 42 and 43 may be varied so as to enable the spring tension to substantially counter-balance the weight of the ophthalmometer 56 and those members employed to support said ophthalmometer from the shaft 26, whereby the ophthalmometer may be readily moved vertically to different positions relative to shaft 26 and bracket 25, and to automatically retain any position to which it may be adjusted. The feed screw 45 provides for a delicate adjustment or readjustment of the counterbalancing tension on the springs 42 and 43 and to lock the slide 41 to any position to which it may be adjusted. Slidably mounted upon the arm 29 is a tubular member 60 adapted to be locked rigidly to the arm 29 by means of a set-screw 61. A nut 62 ispivotally attached to the slide 60 by means of a bolt 63. A

' teed screw 64 is journaled in a journal box 65 pivoted upon a bolt 66 between the forked arms of the standard 32. The feed screw 64 is threaded through the nut 62. The set-screw 61 is normally released to permit the member 60 to slide upon the arm 29. When it is desired to lock the ophthalmometer to any adjusted position the set-screw 61 is tightened which serves to lock the arms 29 and 30 and standard 32 rigidly to their adjusted position vertically. A fine adjustment vertically in either direction of the ophthalmometer may now be had by turning the feed screw 64 by hand.

Independently of the vertical adjustment of the ophthalmometer a horizontal adjust ment may be had about the axis of the shaft 26 through substantially one hundred and eighty degrees. This adjustment provides for readily swinging the ophthalmometer from an active position directly i front of the patient or chair seat to an idle position at one side of the chair outside of the chair arm 68, and thereby providing space in front of the chair seat for the adjustment of a phorometer, not shown, mounted upon the standard 19, from an idle positio outside of the chair arm 68 to an active position in front of the chair seat, and thereby providing for an interchangeable use of an ophthalmometer and a phorometer in connection with a single operating chair and without requiring the patient to change positions.

Further adjustment of the ophthalmometer horizontally may be had by releasing the nut 39 and swinging the arm 37 about the axis 35 to any extent desired, after which the nut 39 is tightened again to lock the arm 37 rigidly to the standard 32. Also by loosening the nut 54 the ophthalmometer and its supporting platens 52 and 55 may be adjusted horizontally about the axis 51 to any desired extent, and locked rigidly to their adjusted position by tightening the nut 54. In order to provide for locking the arms 29 and 30 and standard 32 to any desired position of adjustment about the axis 26, a collar 70 is snugly fitted to a cylindrical section 71 of reduced diameter at the upper end of the journal box 25. The lower end of the collar 70 rests upon a shoulder 72. The lower cylindrical end of member 27 also preferably fits snugly within the upper end of the collar 70. The member 27 is provided with a lateral projection 73 through which the threaded shank of a set screw 74 is tapped. The inner end of the set-screw 74 enters a recess 75 in the outer face of the collar 70 a sufiicient distance to cause the collar 7 O to rotate relative to the journal box 25 with the member 27 and set screw 74 when the set screw is loose. hen the set screw 74 is tightened its inner end forces the collar 70 into contact with the section 71 so as to act as a brakeshoe and lock the members 27, 29, 30 and 32 against rotation upon the axle 26.

in the modification Fig. 3, I have illustrated means for counterbalancing the weight of the instrument and its supporting mechanism comprising an elongated arm 80, in place of either the arm 29 or 30 of Fig. 1, and a weight 81 slida-ble endwise on said arm and a set screw 82 to clamp the weight 81 to any position along the arm 80 to which said weight may be adjusted. means may be employed in place of the springs '42 and 43 to counter-balance the weight of the instrument and its supporting mechanism without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In practice the ophthalmometer is required to be adjusted both" vertically and horizontally to bring the instrument centrally in front of the patient and on a horizontal plane with eyes of the patient, which is greatly facilitated by the use of my improved supporting and adjusting apparatus.

I am thus enabled to support an oph thalmometer' or similar instrument with reference to a chair so that the ophthalmometer may be readily adjusted with ac- Other known III curacy andwith practically no effort, and to practically any desired active or idle posit-ion required, and so as to be quickly and conveniently shifted from active to idle position or the reverse, and so as tofacilitate the use of more than one instrument without change of position of the patient. I am also enabled to delicately counterbalance the weight of the instrument and its supporting mechanism, and to secure a fine adjustment of the instrument into alignment with the range of vision of patient.

The apparatus herein shown and described is capable of considerable modification without departing from the spirit of my invention.

- VVhatI claim is:

1. An instrument supporting apparatus comprising a base member, a vertically dis-.

posed journal member journaled upon a vertical axis intermediate of its ends relative to said base member, a pair of horizontally disposed arms spaced apart and pivotally mounted at one end upon and near opposite ends-of said journal member outside of its pivotal support, a vertically adjustable standard carried by and pivotally attached near its opposite ends to the opposite ends of said horizontally disposed arms respectively, supporting means carried by said vertically adjustable standard, means to rigidly lock said supporting means to said vertically adjustable standard, means to rigidly lock said journal member in its adjusted positions relative to said base member, and means to counterbalance the weight of said supporting means and members carried thereby upon and relative to said base member.

2. An instrument supporting apparatus comprising a base member, a vertically disposed journal member journale-d upon a vertical axis intermediate of its ends relative to said base member, means to rigidly lock said journal member in its adjusted positions relative to said base member, a pair of horizontally disposed arms spaced apart and each pivotally mounted at one end upon and relative to said journal member near opposite ends thereof and outside of its pivotal support, a vertically adjustable standard carried by and pivotally attached near its opposite ends to said horizontally disposed arms respectively, supporting means carried by said vertically adjustable standard, means to counterbalance the weight of said supporting means and members carried thereby upon and relative to said base member, and positively adjustable means to variably adjust the tension of said counterbalancing means.

3. An instrument supporting apparatus comprising a base member, a vertically disposed journal member ournaled at an intermediate polnt and upon a vertlcal axis relative to said base member,-means to; rigidly lock said journal member in its adjusted position relative to said base member, a pair of horizontally disposed arms spaced apart and each pivotally mounted at one end upon and relative to said journal member near opposite ends thereof, a vertically adjustable standard carried by and pivotally-attached near its opposite ends to the opposite ends of said horizontally .disposed arms respectively, a horizontally directed supporting member pivotally mounted at one end upon said standard, means to rigidly lock said supporting memberto said vertical standard, a spring to counterbalance the L;

weight of said supporting member and standard upon said base" member, said spring being attached at one end in a fixed to rigidly lock said journal member in its adjusted positions relative to said base member, a pair of horizontally disposed arms spaced apart and each pivotally mounted upon and relative to said journal member, a. vertically adjustable standard carried by and pivotally attached to said horizontally disposed arms respectively, supporting means carried by said vertically adjustable standard, a slide member adapted to'be clamped rigidly to diiierent positions of adjustment, and a manually operable feed screw operable to positively feed said slide and the member to which said slide may be clamped to positively raise or lower said supporting means relative to said journal member.

5. An instrument supporting apparatus comprising a base member, a vertically disposed journal member journaled upon a vertical axis relative to said base member, means to rigidly lock said journal member in its adjusted positions relative to said base member, a pair of horizontally disposed arms spaced apart and each pivotally mounted upon and relative to said journal member, a vertically adjustable standard carried b and pivotally attached to said horizonta ly disposed arms respectively, supporting means carried by said vertically adjustable standard, a slide member mounted to slide endwise upon one of said horizontally disposed arms and adapted to be clamped rigidly thereto at difi'erent adjusted positions, a manually operable feed screw journaled and pivotally adjustable relative to said vertical standard and adapted to feed said slide positively to positively raise and lower said supporting means relative to sald journal member When said slide is clamped to said horizontally disposed arm.

6. An instrument supporting apparatus comprising a base member, a vertically disposed journal member journaled upon a vertical axis relative to said base member, means to rigidly lock said journal member in its adjusted positions relative to said base member, a pair of horizontally disposed arms spaced apart and each pivotally mounted upon and relative to said journal member, a vertically adjustable standard carried by and pivotally attached to said horizontally disposed arms respectively, supporting means carried by said vertically adjustable standard, slide members adjustable respectively endvvise upon said horizontally disposed arms, and adapted to be positively held to their adjusted positions, and a resilient member pivotally connected at opposite ends to said respective slides and adapted to adjustably counterbalance the Weight of said supporting means upon said journal mem- 540 members adjustable respectively endwise upon said horizontally disposed arms, a resilient member pivotally connected at opposite ends to said respective slides and adapted to adjustably counterbalance the Weight of the supporting means relative to said journal member, means to rigidly lock one of said slides in its adjusted position, and means to positively manually feed the other slide endwise of the arm upon'which it is mounted.

8. An instrument supporting apparatus comprising a base member, a vertically disposed journal member journaled upon a vertical axis relative to said base member, means to rigidly lock said journal member in its adjusted positions relative to said base member, a pair of horizontally disposed arms spaced apart and each pivotally mounted upon and relative to said journal member, a vertically adjustable standard carried by and pivotally attached to said horizontally disposed arms respectively, supporting means carried by said vertically adjustable standard, a slide member adjustably mounted to move endwise of one of said horizontally disposed arms, a resilient member rigidly connected at one end to the other of said horizontally disposed arms, and at its opposite end to said slide, and a manually operable member to positively feed said slide endWise of said horizontally disposed arm to positively adjust one end of said resilient member along said horizontally disposed arm to counterbalance the Weight of the supporting means relative to said journal member.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

FREDERICK KOENIGKRAMER. 

